Bur it had been ay since he used a living, breathing horse.

  Adorned in its ceremonial mithril armor, the horse sashayed across the vast pin on the border of Soulnaught and Inkia, aiming for the enemy's doorstep.

  If you were to inquire with Burn, he'd likely argue vehemently that this pin still fell under Soulnaught's jurisdi.

  However, truth be told, even the most devoted Soulnaughtians seemed to have fotten this fotten patch of nd. Perhaps it was due to the rather inve mountainous obstacle course separating this pce from the heart of Soulnaught.

  Burhat this vast pin had also been used as a battlefield a couple of hundred years ago. The nd was scorched by a high tration of magic that only the most stubbrass could now popute.

  His horse clip-clopped down the pin, slowly, purposefully rexed. And seeing him trudging down toward them, the representative of the Inkia Army also decided to meet him in the middle.

  "My lord, Your Majesty Pendragon, fancy meeting you here! It's been what, a tury since our st meeting?"

  As the renowned, ever-humble army ander of Inkia, Finn Wilderwood, greeted Burn, memories of their st enter flooded back. It was ba the aimes of this very year, right around the moment Burn decided to shake things up and decre war on the universe.

  Oh, and who could fet? This fine fellow even made an appeara Burn's grand ation, alongside the King of Inkia himself, and popping in occasionally after Burn showed those outsiders who was boss.

  He was the ed champion of tial bootlig.

  Finn, bless his devoted soul, dared to grace Burn's doorstep, bravely attempting to pnt the seed of 'resideration' in Burn's mind about taking over the entire world. Naturally, his efforts were swiftly brushed aside.

  Now, Burn wasn't oo harbor ill feelings. After all, Finn was the lone Inkian who made a half-hearted attempt to cozy up to the Soulnaught rulers. Maybe it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart, but Finn uood that challenging Burn was about as wise as juggling fming swords blindfolded.

  “Looks like yht the whole circus with you,” Burn remarked, eyeing the army Finn had mustered.

  Finn smirked. “Hey, desperate times call for a backup choir. You ’t bme me. I am stuck between a rod a hard pce, after all. In this case, it was an unstoppable ford a group of stupid politis.”

  It was a sight to see Finn stepping out of his usual diplomatic shell. But let’s face it, when you’re dangling over a pit of hungry crocodiles, etiquette tends to take a nosedive. It was not everyday he was wedged between a tsunami and a flock of clueless pigeons.

  “I heard someone was sent and ended up stabbing you?” Finn asked. “That’s uncalled for…”

  “Just Tuesdays,” Burn casually shrugged.

  It was a bit peculiar. Witnessing Fie from his usual loop behavior was like finding a pineapple on a pizza—ued and not quite right. It appeared he had been pushed beyond his limits more harshly this time.

  In prior loops, this gentleman bravely guarded the border, his eyes holding a glimmer of hope. Even when Burn killed him ead every loop, he seemed surprisingly unfazed by it.

  “Your family got the cssic hostage card?” Burn asked, as if unraveling a well-worn mystery.

  “Well, doesn’t that just scream 'civilized society' to you?” Fied wryly, a smirk pying at the er of his lips. “There’s this delightful, violent pydate between the prime minister’s fan club and the first prince’s cheer squad.”

  The man expihat Burn had started to irritate both political parties, and Finn had borhe brunt of their frustrations. He was threatened with his family on the line; if he couldn’t take Burn out, his family would be stripped of their assets and sold as sves.

  This never happened in the previous loops.

  The main reason robably the utter ck of successful attempts that could even touch Burn except the first one. In the previous loops, they could still sneak into his bedroom, slip poison into his m coffee, you , even though they still failed.

  But now, every siempt couldn’t reach Buro his diligent subordinates and Man.

  With that, Burn probably had sucked up far too much of their attention. Quite the escation for just a single week.

  Which means, now, not only did Finn have to bite the dust, but his family would get the short end of the stick too—sves in the making. Yet, that was just a drop in the o pared to the other bombshells.

  Take, for instahe colossal army Finn paraded in with. He went all out, betting it all on a losing hand. All for nothing, all for one. Maybe that was his way of retaliating. He was well aware that everyone in this pce was headed for the grave, thus Inkia would feel the burn too.

  "For the love of God, Your Majesty, could you please this war swiftly? Crush Inkia in months? No, scratch that, I bet you could do it in days."

  Finn only wanted a swift death.

  Burn didn't immediately answer, but he listened and witnessed everything the man had to say. Before responding, he decided to remind Finn of his offer from a couple of years back: "You sure you don’t want to switch sides?"

  The emperor didn’t expect it, but upon hearing that, Finn looked more shocked than he ever had before. The man suddenly burst out ughing.

  “—BH—HAHAHAHAH! HAHAHA!”

  The pressure had been suffog, making it seem like ughter had bee a long-lost memory for Finn. The thought of his family suffering in his death weighed heavily on him.

  "The offer still stands? Man, I'm so tempted to turn around and join you," Finn said, a tinge ret in his voice.

  But as, it was too te.

  If only he had known earlier, he would have secured his family first and then kicked off a rebellion. Now, at st, he was ready to join Burn's camp. He cursed himself for his past stupid patriotism and loyalty.

  "Would you have do if it hadn't been too te?" Burn inquired. "Let's say, one or two weeks ago."

  "Hmm, absolutely," Finn mused. "Now that's a thought, Your Majesty. Thanks for sharing my regret."

  Burn simply nodded.

  Just like the assassin who stabbed Burn in the chest, screaming 'Long live Inkia,' Finn was also one of the many shadows of Inkia’s long-past glory. Inkia was great, but no more.

  “Inkia will drag this war with every single card they have,” Burn said. "I'll fill you in oails ter. So prepare for the grand tour without the grumbling."

  It would be enough to entrust the man with Inkia’s invasion ter. He was quick-witted and well-ected too, judging from the army he brought.

  Inkia would suffer quite a bit after Bured this army amassed uhe Wilderwood fg. He could imagine Finn lobbying the other o tribute parts of their armies, effectively chipping away at Inkia's defense and manpower.

  “Later?” Finn tilted his head in fusion. “Later when?”

  Wasn’t this the end of his journey?

  “Later, in the loop,” Burn grinned.

  Finn blinked, and somehow, it ainless death. He was certain of it when he saw his vision halved, parts of his brain scattered on the ground.

  The lower half of his face smiled. Burn had granted him the exact thing he wanted.

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